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Emmanuel FLACTION on 14 Sep 09Discussion: MySpace and Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) The following interview with Henry Jenkins (co-director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT) and danah boyd (PhD student at the School of Information, University of California- Berkeley) was conducted via email by Sarah Wright of the MIT News Office. An abbreviated version was published by the MIT News Office on 24 May 2006. We are providing a full transcript of our interview online because we believe that it provides valuable information for parents, legislators and press who are concerned about the dangers of MySpace. "MySpace did not create teenage bullying but it has made it more visible to many adults, although it is not clear that the embarrassment online is any more damaging to the young victims than offline. Regardless of medium, the humiliation occurs when the entire school or social community knows of the attack; MySpace and other online mediums may help spread rumors faster, but they have always spread in the halls of schools pretty quickly. No one of any age enjoys being the target of public tormenting, but new media is not to blame for peer-to-peer harassment simply because it makes it more visible to outsiders. In fact, in many ways, this visibility provides a window through which teen mentors can help combat this issue."